Television with Interactive Portal and System and Method for Use of Same

ABSTRACT

A television with an interactive portal and system and method for use of the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of the television, the television is deployed to provide an interactive portal in a hospitality establishment having multiple rooms, such as a hotel. The television is associated with a room and includes a housing that secures a processor, memory, tuner, panel, and audio driver in an interconnected architecture. The television generates a guest interactive portal as well as a housekeeping interactive portal for a guest and housekeeper, respectively. Each of the portals provides relevant feedback on the condition of the room to a server associated with the hotel.

PRIORITY STATEMENT & CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of co-pending U.S. patent applicationSer. No. 16/141,773 entitled “Television with Interactive Portal andSystem and Method for Use of Same” and filed on Sep. 25, 2018, in thenames of Vanessa Ogle et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 10,516,899, issued onDec. 24, 2019; which is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser.No. 15/625,050 entitled “Television with Interactive Portal and Systemand Method for Use of Same” and filed on Jun. 16, 2017, in the names ofVanessa Ogle et al., now U.S. Pat. No. 10,085,044, issued on Sep. 25,2018; which claims priority from U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.62/351,394 entitled “Television with Interactive Portal and System andMethod for Use of Same” and filed on Jun. 17, 2016, in the names ofVanessa Ogle et al. U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/625,050 entitled“Television with Interactive Portal and System and Method for Use ofSame” and filed on Jun. 16, 2017, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al.,now U.S. Pat. No. 10,085,044, issued on Sep. 25, 2018, is also acontinuation-in-part of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/417,554entitled “Set-Top Box with Interactive Portal and System and Method forUse of Same” and filed on Jan. 27, 2017, in the names of Vanessa Ogle etal., now U.S. Pat. No. 9,832,489, issued on Nov. 28, 2017; which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/074,067 entitled“Set-Top Box with Interactive Portal and System and Method for Use ofSame” and filed on Mar. 18, 2016, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al.,now U.S. Pat. No. 9,560,388, issued on Jan. 31, 2017; which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/803,428 entitled“Set-Top Box with Interactive Portal and System and Method for Use ofSame” and filed on Jul. 20, 2015, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al.,now U.S. Pat. No. 9,326,009, issued on Apr. 26, 2016; which is acontinuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/294,123 entitled“Set-top Box with Interactive Portal and System and Method for Use ofSame” and filed on Jun. 2, 2014, in the names of Vanessa Ogle et al.,now U.S. Pat. No. 9,088,828, issued on Jul. 21, 2015; which claimspriority from U.S. Patent Application Ser. No. 61/829,932 entitled“On-Screen Display,” and filed on May 31, 2013, in the name of VanessaOgle; all of which are hereby incorporated, in their entirety, byreference for all purposes.

TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates, in general, to televisions and, in particular,to televisions with interactive portals and systems and methods for useof the same that provide additional functionality to the hospitalitylodging industry, as an example.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Without limiting the scope of the present invention, the background willbe described in relation to the hospitality lodging industry, as anexample. Housekeepers have one of the most important roles in thehospitality lodging industry. The hotel or other lodging establishmentneeds to be presentable, clean, and sanitary. To these ends, the dutiesof a housekeeper include making sure each hotel room has enough hygieneproducts, stationery, clean linens, clean drink ware and a supply ofbeverages, for example. Typically, hotels may provide housekeepers withclipboards and checklists as an informational job aid to ensurecompletion of each housekeeper's tasks and reduce failure bycompensating for potential limits of human memory and attention. Such apaper-dependent approach has proven to be a limitation in an everincreasing paperless hospitality lodging industry. Accordingly, there isa need for improved systems and methods that ensure the completion ofhousekeeping tasks, while integrating well into existing and plannedhospitality lodging establishments.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It would be advantageous to introduce systems and methods that furtherthe completion of housekeeping tasks—and other operational andmaintenance tasks—in hospitality lodging establishments to ensurecompletion of the tasks and reduce failure. It would also be desirableto enable a computer-based solution that would mitigate the dependencyon paper and integrate well into existing and planned hospitalitylodging establishments. To better address one or more of these concerns,a television with an interactive portal and systems and methods for useof the same are disclosed. In one embodiment of the television, thetelevision is deployed to provide an interactive portal in a hospitalityestablishment having multiple rooms, such as a hotel. The television isassociated with a room and include, a processor, a memory, a tuner, apanel and an audio driver therein in an interconnected architecture. Thetelevision generates a guest interactive portal as well as ahousekeeping interactive portal for a guest and housekeeper,respectively. Each of the portals provides relevant feedback on thecondition of the room to a server associated with the hotel.

In another embodiment, a system deploys the televisions in roomsthroughout the lodging establishment. The interactive instructionsprompted by guests using the guest interactive portal are utilized todynamically maintain a housekeeping schedule and a maintenance schedule.Further, the interactive instructions prompted by housekeepers using thehousekeeping interactive portal are utilized to dynamically maintain themaintenance schedule. These and other aspects of the invention will beapparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiments describedhereinafter.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For a more complete understanding of the features and advantages of thepresent invention, reference is now made to the detailed description ofthe invention along with the accompanying figures in which correspondingnumerals in the different figures refer to corresponding parts and inwhich:

FIG. 1 is schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of a systemutilizing televisions with interactive portals being employed in ahospitality lodging establishment, according to the teachings presentedherein;

FIG. 2 is a front elevation view of one embodiment of a room within thehospitality lodging establishment, illustrating components in a guestconfiguration, which form a portion of the system depicted in FIG. 1;

FIG. 3A is a front elevation view of one embodiment of the room withinthe hospitality lodging establishment, illustrating components in afirst housekeeping configuration;

FIG. 3B is a front elevation view of one embodiment of the room withinthe hospitality lodging establishment, illustrating components in asecond housekeeping configuration;

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of thetelevision presented in FIG. 1 in further detail;

FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of a digitalrepresentation of the hospitality lodging establishment presented inFIG. 1;

FIG. 5B is a schematic diagram depicting one embodiment of a digitalrepresentation of a floor of the hospitality lodging establishmentpresented in FIG. 5A;

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram depicting one embodiment of theserver presented in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 7 is a flow chart depicting one embodiment of a method utilizingset-top boxes with interactive portals according to the teachingspresented herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the making and using of various embodiments of the presentinvention are discussed in detail below, it should be appreciated thatthe present invention provides many applicable inventive concepts, whichcan be embodied in a wide variety of specific contexts. The specificembodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways tomake and use the invention, and do not delimit the scope of the presentinvention.

Referring initially to FIG. 1, therein is depicted one embodiment of asystem 10 utilizing a television 12 having a housing 14 with a panel 16and speakers 18 with interactive portals being employed within ahospitality lodging establishment H. The hospitality lodgingestablishment or more generally, hospitality property, may be afurnished multi-family residence, dormitory, lodging establishment,hotel, hospital, or other multi-unit environment. As shown, by way ofexample and not by way of limitation, the hospitality lodgingestablishment is depicted as a hotel having various rooms R. Thetelevisions 12 are communicatively disposed with various amenitiesassociated with the hospitality environment within the hospitalityestablishment H. The televisions 12 may be deployed throughout the roomsR of the hotel and are in communication with a property server 20, whichis co-located at the hotel.

As shown, in one embodiment, within a room R and in particular Room-1,the system 10 includes the television 12 and the panel 16. A connectionincludes, for example, a power cable 22 coupling the television 12 to apower source and a coaxial cable 24 coupling the television 12 to anexternal cable source. It should be appreciated that the cablingconnected to the television 12 will depend on the environment andapplication and the cabling connections presented in FIG. 1 are depictedfor illustrative purposes. The actual cabling arrangement employed mayvary and will depend on the particular implementation.

A television remote control 30 includes an array of buttons 32 foradjusting various settings such as television channel and volume. In oneembodiment, the television remote control 30 may be a consumer infrared(IR), Bluetooth or other wireless-protocol-based device configured as asmall wireless handheld object that issues commands, such as signals S,from a distance to the television in order to provide control thereto.By way of example, program P is being shown on the panel 16 of thetelevision 12.

Referring now to FIG. 2, in response to receiving a guest servicerequest from a user of the remote control 30, for example, thetelevision 12 has generated a guest interactive portal 50. In oneimplementation, the user may press service button of the buttons 32 ornavigate a menu to cause the generation of the guest interactive portal50, which may be overlayed or superimposed on the program P in oneembodiment. The guest interactive portal includes interactive icons 52,and more particularly icons 54, 56, 58, 60, 62, and 64. Additionally,informational presentation 66 is provided, which includes date and time.It should be appreciated that any number or configuration of interactiveicons 52 may be presented, including an entire screen of interactiveicons 52 or a scrolling feature allowing a defined space to provide manysheets of interactive icons 52. By way of example and not by way oflimitation, the interactive icons 52 may include do not disturb, make uproom, additional towels, fresh linens, or turn-back service, forexample.

In the embodiment shown, icon 52 provides guest interaction with theHVAC system to control the environment. Icons 56 and 58 provide theguest with a mechanism to inform housekeeping that the guest does notwish to be disturbed or that the room is ready to be made up. Typically,such indications are placed on the guest's door. The embodimentspresented herein provide by way of the set-top box a portal for theguest to furnish this indication virtually and directly to the propertyserver 20. Continuing with the description of FIG. 2, icon 60 indicatesthat a light bulb needs replacement and actuation of this icon by way ofthe remote control 30, for example, generates, by way of the television12, a maintenance request in substantially real time. Icon 62 indicatesadditional towels are required and icon 64 indicates that a wake-up callis requested.

Referring to FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, in response to receiving ahousekeeping service request from a housekeeper or may access thetelevision 12 by way of the remote control 30, for example, thetelevision 12 has generated a housekeeping interactive portal 70. In oneimplementation, the user or housekeeper may press a service button, witha passkey, for example, of the buttons 32 or navigate a menu to causethe generation of the housekeeping interactive portal 70, which may be aseparate channel in one embodiment. The housekeeping interactive portalincludes interactive icons 72, and more particularly icons 74, 76, 78,80, 82, 84, 86, 88, 90, 92, and 94. Additionally, informationalpresentations 96, 98, 100, 102, and 104 are provided. As discussed withrespect to the guest interactive portal 50, the housekeeping interactiveportal may include any number and arrangement of icons and informationalpresentations. Moreover, in one implementation, the icons andinformation presentations may be language independent. In this manner,the television 12 is providing various housekeeping and maintenancesupport without the need for additional technology. An existingappliance in a hotel room or other lodging establishment may beleveraged. Further, complex systems that require additional training arenot needed as the systems and methods presented herein are intuitive.Further still, rooms are made ready faster while reducing labor coststhrough substantially real time housekeeping and maintenance datacollection and optimization of the deployment of staff, includingmaintenance support.

In the embodiment presented in FIGS. 3A and 3B, the icons may representtelephone maintenance 76, television maintenance 78, light bulbmaintenance 80, faucet maintenance 82, lock maintenance 84, clockmaintenance 86, iron maintenance 88, light fixture maintenance 90,toilet maintenance 92, HVAC maintenance (not shown), refrigeratormaintenance (not shown), Wi/Fi maintenance (not shown), or generalmaintenance (94), by way of example, and not by way of limitation. Icon74 provides a toggle about the status of room (dirty/clean/ready (needswork). Informational presentation 96 indicates the current room,information presentation 98 indicates the number of days until checkout,which provides an indication if a deep clean is needed. Informationpresentation 100 indicates the time. As mentioned, the next room to becleaned by the housekeeper is indicated at informational or informationpresentation 102. This information is provided by the property server ona updated basis depending on the housekeeping schedule and otherinformation gathered. At information presentation 104, the name andidentification of the housekeeper cleaning the room is provided.

In operation, the housekeeping interactive portal is accessed by thehousekeeper via a special remote control or a menu requiring a passcode.By comparing FIGS. 3A and 3B, Helen, the housekeeper has, using theremote control, for example, completed the maintenance checklist, whichserves as an informational job aid to ensure completion of eachhousekeeper's tasks and reduce failure by compensating for potentiallimits of human memory and attention. As shown, the room has beencleaned and “Room Dirty” toggled to “Room Ready Needs Work” as on themaintenance portion of the checklist, the faucet is leaking and requiresmaintenance. As displayed, in one embodiment, “checks” indicate themaintenance item has been checked and works properly and the “X”indicates maintenance is needed. This information is routed to theproperty server which then prioritizes the maintenance request andupdates the maintenance schedule. Importantly, as the television isassociated with a particular room and provides, in one implementation, aroom identification with transmissions to the property server, the typeof issue and the room is immediately known by the property server.Following completion of the room, Helen advances from room 402 to 403.

Referring now to FIG. 4, the television 12 may be a telecommunicationmedium used for transmitting sound with moving images in black-and-whiteor color in two or three dimensions. As used herein, television mayrefer to a television set or a display operating with televisionfunctionality. By way of further example, as used herein, television mayinclude smart televisions, sometimes referred to as connectedtelevisions or hybrid televisions, that include televisions havingconvergent functionality with computers and set-top boxes, includingintegrated Internet features. Such smart televisions may providetraditional broadcasting media as well as Internet television, onlineinteractive media, over-the-top content, as well as on-demand streamingmedia, for example. As shown, the television 12 includes a processor 120with video/audio decoder having memory 122, storage 124, a controlinterface processor 126, and a transceiver 132 connected therewith. Ademodulator tuner 128 provides an input as do inputs 130. The processor120 drives a signal to the video and filter processor 134, which inturn, drives a signal to a panel interface 136 and onto a panel 16,which may serve as a display. Additionally, the processor 120 drives asignal to the audio driver 138, which in turn, drives a signal tospeakers 18.

The processor 120 with video/audio decoder may process instructions forexecution within the computing device, including instructions stored inthe memory 122 or in the storage 124. In one embodiment, the video/audiodecoder functionality of the processor 120 provides for the conversionof base-band analog video signals to digital components video whileallowing programmable control over video characteristics such as hue,contrast, and saturation. The memory 122 stores information within thecomputing device, as shown, the television 12. In one implementation,the memory 122 is a volatile memory unit or units. In anotherimplementation, the memory 122 is a non-volatile memory unit or units.Storage 124 provides capacity that is capable of providing mass storagefor the television 12.

In one implementation, the control interface processor 126 may executeinstructions relative to a self-diagnosis television control interface.Further, the self-diagnosis interface may be selected from RJ25 ports,RS232 ports, RS422 ports, RS485 ports, multiple protocol interfaces(MPIs), and multiple television interfaces (MTIs), for example. Asdepicted, the control interface may include an RS232 standard DB-25connection for the serial communication transmission of data. Such aconnection formally defines the signals connecting between a DTE (dataterminal equipment) such as a computer terminal, and a DCE (datacircuit-terminating equipment, originally defined as data communicationequipment.

The demodulator tuner 128 recovers the information content from amodulated carrier wave received from cable or an antenna, for example,and appropriately adjusts the resonance frequency of the receivedmodulated carrier wave for further processing by the processor. Asdiscussed, various inputs 130 provide connections to the television 12,wherein the inputs 130 are the signals or data received by thetelevision 12. In the illustrated example, the inputs 130 may include anHDMI interface or CVBS component, for example. The transceiver 132 isassociated with the television 12 and communicatively disposed with thearchitecture. As shown the transceiver 132 may be internal, external, ora combination thereof with respect to the housing of the television 12.Communication between various amenities in the hotel room, includingeven the remote control 30, and the television 12 may be enabled by avariety of wireless methodologies employed by the transceiver 132,including 802.11, 3G, 4G, Edge, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, near field communications(NFC), Bluetooth low energy and Bluetooth, for example. Also, infrared(IR) may be utilized.

The video and filter processor 134 performs a complete or partialsuppression of some aspect of the signal received from the processor 120in order to remove some frequencies to suppress interfering signals andreduce background noise and adjust image quality. The panel interface136 specifies a video connection and signaling that drives the panel 16,which may be a liquid crystal display, plasma panel, electroluminescentpanel, or organic light-emitting diode panel, for example. The audiodriver 138 specifies the audio connection and signaling that drives anelectrical audio signal to the speakers, which convert the electricalaudio signal into a corresponding sound.

As described, the television 12 is associated with a room and includes,a processor 140, memory 22, a tuner shown as demodulator tuner 128, apanel 16 and an audio driver 138 therein in an interconnectedarchitecture. It should be appreciated that although a particulararchitecture is shown, the teachings prescribed herein are applicable toother architectures. By way of example, the processors 120, 126, and 134may be partially or fully integrated and represented as the processor140. The memory 122 and storage 124 are accessible to the processor 140and include processor-executable instructions that, when executed, causethe processor 140 to execute a series of operations. Theprocessor-executable instructions receive a next room assignment from aserver for populating informational presentation 102, for example in thehousekeeping interactive portal 70. In response to receiving a guestservice request via the remote control, for example, theprocessor-executable instructions cause the generation of the guestinteractive portal including a first interactive icon relative to thehousekeeping of the assigned room and a second interactive icon relativeto maintenance of the assigned room.

Further, the processor-executable instructions cause, in response to ahousekeeping servicing request received at the transceiver from theremote control, for example, the generation of a housekeepinginteractive portal including a third interactive icon relative to theclean/dirty status of the assigned room, a fourth interactive iconrelative to maintenance of the assigned room, and the next roomassignment. In one implementation, the room status (clean/dirty/etc.)may be re-set by the television periodically, such as each night, toensure cleaning if a room is occupied. The property server may inform atelevision of room occupation, in one implementation, or the televisionmay detect activity above a certain threshold indicating occupancy. Asalluded, the fourth icon functions as a checklist configured to ensurecompletion of a housekeeping maintenance review list. Theprocessor-executable instructions then forward either the guestinteractive portal or the housekeeping interactive portal to thetelevision via the television output.

Instructions may be received, including an interactive instructionrelative to one of the first, second, third, and fourth interactiverequests via the transceiver from the individual interactively utilizingthe respective interactive portal with the remote control, for example.The received instructions are then forwarded to the property server sothat various housekeeping schedules and maintenance schedules may beupdated in substantially real time. Further, work flow plans may bearranged and the housekeeping and maintenance schedules optimized tomake better use of personal time. Thus, improving property management.

Referring now to FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, in one implementation, propertymonitoring and optimization is provided in the form of a database, or asshown, in a graphical presentation 180 wherein particular hotel roomswith housekeeping and maintenance status in substantially real timepermits a user or manager to select the desired information and makeoptimal housekeeping and maintenance plans. In particular, color-codingand hue assignment adds additional understanding and visibility intohousekeeping and maintenance conditions as well as use. By way ofexample and not by way of limitation, the hotel is graphical depicted180 as having a lobby and ten floors, which are lobby, 1^(st) floor,2^(nd) floor, etc. For each floor, such as the 4^(th) floor, a floorlayout is shown with rooms, such as rooms 401 through 407 and 411through 417. In FIGS. 5A and 5B, by collecting the substantially realtime housekeeping and maintenance information from the field, i.e., fromguests as well as housekeeping, a map may be shown depicting all roomswith an outstanding maintenance need 182, for example. In particular,room 402 from FIGS. 3A and 3B is highlighted due to the faucetmaintenance issue reported by the housekeeping staff during the routine,daily cleaning. With this information and knowledge of the issuemaintenance may appropriately prioritize the requests, handle therequests in an optimal order, and bring all needed equipment. Asmentioned, it should be appreciated that other types of databases andcharts may be prepared from the substantially real time informationcollected.

Referring now to FIG. 6, the server 20 is depicted as a computing devicethat includes a processor 190, memory 192, storage 194, inputs 196, andoutputs 198 interconnected with various buses 200 in a common ordistributed, for example, mounting architecture. In otherimplementations, in the computing device, multiple processors and/ormultiple buses may be used, as appropriate, along with multiple memoriesand types of memory. Further still, in other implementations, multiplecomputing devices may be provided and operations distributedtherebetween. The processor 190 may process instructions for executionwithin the computing device, including instructions stored in the memory192 or in storage 194. The memory 192 stores information within thecomputing device. In one implementation, the memory 192 is a volatilememory unit or units. In another implementation, the memory 92 is anon-volatile memory unit or units. The storage 194 may provide acapacity that is capable of providing mass storage for the computingdevice. Various inputs 196 and outputs 198 provide connections to andfrom the computing device.

The memory 192 and storage 194 are accessible to the processor andinclude processor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to execute a series of operations. The processor-executableinstructions cause the server to access the memory and storage tomaintain and periodically optimize, as interactive requests and data arereceived, a housekeeping schedule and a maintenance schedule,respectively indicating a list of the rooms needing cleaning the orderto be cleaned, and the rooms requiring maintenance, the type ofmaintenance, and the order in which the maintenance issues will beaddressed. In particular, it should be appreciated that prioritizationof requests can occur within the systems and methods presented herein.The processor-executable instructions further cause the server to sendnext room assignments to the set-top boxes and receive information aboutthe status of rooms (dirty/clean/clean (needs work) as the informationbecomes available.

Referring now to FIG. 7, one embodiment of a method utilizingtelevisions with interactive portals within the hospitality lodgingindustry is depicted. At block 210, the methodology is initiated. Atblocks 212 and 214 respectively, housekeeping and maintenance schedulesare generated. At block 216, interactive instructions are received froma television. The hardware and software on the television, in oneembodiment, define interactive applications that provide the equivalentto a room attendant. At decision block 218, the interactive instructionsare examined at the property server to determine if the instructionsrelate to housekeeping or maintenance. It should be appreciated that theapplication may be available at a location remote to the property via aproperty management interface. If the instructions relate tohousekeeping, then continuing to decision block 220, the housekeepinginstructions are examined to determine if it is a priority item or if itmay be queued. At block 222, if it is a priority item, then housekeepingis immediately dispatched. On the other hand, at blocks 224 and 226, ifthe item is queued, then the housekeeping schedule is updated andoptimized, if needed. The methodology from blocks 222 and 226 then joinsat decision block 228, where if there are additional requests, then themethod returns to block 216.

Returning to decision block 218, if the interactive instructions aremaintenance related then priority is determined at decision block 230before advancing to immediate dispatch at block 232 or updatedmaintenance schedule and optimization thereof at blocks 234 and 236. Theflow chart then advances to decision block 228, where if no additionalrequests are present, then the methodology ends at 238.

The order of execution or performance of the methods and data flowsillustrated and described herein is not essential, unless otherwisespecified. That is, elements of the methods and data flows may beperformed in any order, unless otherwise specified, and that the methodsmay include more or less elements than those disclosed herein. Forexample, it is contemplated that executing or performing a particularelement before, contemporaneously with, or after another element are allpossible sequences of execution.

While this invention has been described with reference to illustrativeembodiments, this description is not intended to be construed in alimiting sense. Various modifications and combinations of theillustrative embodiments as well as other embodiments of the invention,will be apparent to persons skilled in the art upon reference to thedescription. It is, therefore, intended that the appended claimsencompass any such modifications or embodiments.

What is claimed is:
 1. A system for operating a hospitalityestablishment having a plurality of rooms, the system comprising: aplurality of televisions respectively disposed in the plurality ofrooms, each television programmably assigned to a respective room, eachtelevision comprising: a processor, memory, tuner, panel, and audiodrive disposed in an interconnected architecture therein; the memoryaccessible to the processor, the memory including processor-executableinstructions that, when executed, cause the processor to: receive a nextroom assignment from a server, in response to a housekeeping servicingrequest, generate a housekeeping interactive portal including a firstinteractive icon relative to the assigned room and the next roomassignment, the first interactive icon is selected from the groupconsisting of clean/dirty status of the assigned room, do not disturb,make-up room, additional towels, fresh linens, turn-back service, anddays until check-out, forward the housekeeping interactive portal to thetelevision via the television output, and receive an interactiveinstruction relative to the first interactive request; the server beingdisposed in communication with the plurality of televisions, the serverbeing co-located at the hospitality establishment; the server sendingeach of the plurality of televisions the next room assignment; theserver receiving the interactive instructions relative to the firstinteractive request; and a housekeeping schedule stored at the server,the next room assignment forming a portion of the housekeeping schedule,which is dynamically maintained based on the interactive instructionsreceived at the server relative to the first interactive icon.
 2. Thesystem as recited in claim 1, wherein the first interactive icon furthercomprises a plurality of icons.
 3. The system as recited in claim 1,wherein the processor-executable instructions to generate thehousekeeping interactive portal further comprise a second interactiveicon relative to the maintenance of the assigned room.
 4. The system asrecited in claim 3, further comprising a maintenance schedule stored atthe server, the maintenance schedule being dynamically maintained basedon the interactive instructions received at the server relative to thesecond interactive icon.
 5. The system as recited in claim 4, whereinthe server optimizes the maintenance schedule prior to dispatchingmaintenance tasks.
 6. The system as recited in claim 3, wherein thesecond interactive icon further comprises a plurality of icons.
 7. Thesystem as recited in claim 3, wherein the second interactive icon isselected from the group consisting of telephone maintenance, televisionmaintenance, light bulb maintenance, faucet maintenance, lockmaintenance, clock maintenance, iron maintenance, light fixturemaintenance, toilet maintenance, HVAC maintenance, refrigeratormaintenance, Wi-Fi maintenance, and general maintenance.
 8. The systemas recited in claim 1, wherein the processor-executable instructions togenerate the housekeeping interactive portal further comprise a thirdinteractive icon functioning as a checklist configured to ensurecompletion of a housekeeping maintenance review list.
 9. A system foroperating a hospitality establishment having a plurality of rooms, thesystem comprising: a plurality of televisions respectively disposed inthe plurality of rooms, each television programmably assigned to arespective room, each television comprising: a processor, memory, tuner,panel, and audio drive disposed in an interconnected architecturetherein; the memory accessible to the processor, the memory includingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: receive a next room assignment from a server, in responseto a housekeeping servicing request, generate a housekeeping interactiveportal including a first interactive icon relative to the assigned roomand the next room assignment, the first interactive icon being relatedto housekeeping, forward the housekeeping interactive portal to thetelevision via the television output, and receive an interactiveinstruction relative to the first interactive request; the server beingdisposed in communication with the plurality of televisions, the serverbeing co-located at the hospitality establishment; the server sendingeach of the plurality of televisions the next room assignment; theserver receiving the interactive instructions relative to the firstinteractive request; and a housekeeping schedule stored at the server,the next room assignment forming a portion of the housekeeping schedule,which is dynamically maintained based on the interactive instructionsreceived at the server relative to the first interactive icon.
 10. Thesystem as recited in claim 9, wherein the first interactive icon furthercomprises a plurality of icons.
 11. The system as recited in claim 9,wherein the first interactive icon further comprises clean/dirty statusof the assigned room.
 12. The system as recited in claim 9, wherein thefirst interactive icon is selected from the group consisting of do notdisturb, make-up room, additional towels, fresh linens, turn-backservice, and days until check-out.
 13. The system as recited in claim 9,wherein the processor-executable instructions to generate thehousekeeping interactive portal further comprise a second interactiveicon relative to the maintenance of the assigned room.
 14. The system asrecited in claim 13, further comprising a maintenance schedule stored atthe server, the maintenance schedule being dynamically maintained basedon the interactive instructions received at the server relative to thesecond interactive icon.
 15. The system as recited in claim 14, whereinthe server optimizes the maintenance schedule prior to dispatchingmaintenance tasks.
 16. The system as recited in claim 13, wherein thesecond interactive icon further comprises a plurality of icons.
 17. Thesystem as recited in claim 13, wherein the second interactive icon isselected from the group consisting of telephone maintenance, televisionmaintenance, light bulb maintenance, faucet maintenance, lockmaintenance, clock maintenance, iron maintenance, light fixturemaintenance, toilet maintenance, HVAC maintenance, refrigeratormaintenance, Wi-Fi maintenance, and general maintenance.
 18. The systemas recited in claim 9, wherein the processor-executable instructions togenerate the housekeeping interactive portal further comprise a thirdinteractive icon functioning as a checklist configured to ensurecompletion of a housekeeping maintenance review list.
 19. A system foroperating a hospitality establishment having a plurality of rooms, thesystem comprising: a plurality of televisions respectively disposed inthe plurality of rooms, each television programmably assigned to arespective room, each television comprising: a processor, memory, tuner,panel, and audio drive disposed in an interconnected architecturetherein; the memory accessible to the processor, the memory includingprocessor-executable instructions that, when executed, cause theprocessor to: receive a next room assignment from a server, in responseto a housekeeping servicing request, generate a housekeeping interactiveportal including a first interactive icon relative to the assigned roomand the next room assignment, forward the housekeeping interactiveportal to the television via the television output, and receive aninteractive instruction relative to the first interactive request; theserver being disposed in communication with the plurality oftelevisions, the server being co-located at the hospitalityestablishment; the server sending each of the plurality of televisionsthe next room assignment; the server receiving the interactiveinstructions relative to the first interactive request; and ahousekeeping schedule stored at the server, the next room assignmentforming a portion of the housekeeping schedule, which is dynamicallymaintained based on the interactive instructions received at the serverrelative to the first interactive icon.
 20. The system as recited inclaim 19, wherein the first interactive icon further comprises aplurality of icons.